Mimi pulled on the uncomfortable maid of honor's gown. Coming to the
conclusion that no amount of tugging would make the pastel pink material
feel any more comfortable, she opted to simply smooth the material down
over her stomach and hips. With a smile, she glanced a few feet away at
Jason who was adjusting his pink vest with quite the look of reproach. Mimi
was guessing the idea of wearing a pink vest had yet to grow on him like
the bride had promised.
In front of Mimi stood the highly nervous bride herself. Placing a comforting hand on Belle's shoulder, Mimi softly said, "Don't worry, they'll show. We still have a few minutes before the ceremony starts."
"Don't worry?" Belle questioned as she began to nervously pace around the foyer of St. Luke's. "How can I not worry? Shawn is on the other side of that door waiting for me to walk down the aisle!" Her arms gesturing wildly toward the door, Belle continued, "That door is all that's separating me from my future husband!"
Grabbing Belle by the shoulders, Jason spun her to face him. Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he assured her, "Belle, listen to me. Philip and Chloe will get here for the wedding. Come on, they're members of the wedding party. Hey, it's better that those two didn't get here early, because they probably would have tried to kill each other. You know how they were after that last break-up. Seriously Belle, it's going to be okay. They'll be here. Everything is going to be just fine."
Placing her petite hands on Jason's biceps, Belle tightly gripped his tuxedo and squealed, "You have to say that, you're the best man!"
Prying her best friend off her boyfriend, Mimi calmly said, "Belle, I never really liked Chloe. Well, to be honest, I've always hated her. But, she was always a good friend to you. She won't let you down. I'm sure her flight from Rome just got a little delayed. She'll be here any minute."
Still discouraged, Belle muttered, "Yeah, well, I'm just glad that I went ahead and sent the bridesmaid gown to her in Italy so she could have it fitted there. Otherwise, we'd have to waste even more time for her to get ready. Of course, Philip might make us late anyway."
Taking his turn again at reassuring Belle, Jason soothed, "Belle, I've known Philip practically my entire life. If he makes a promise, he keeps it. He'll be here. The K-man wouldn't let you down. Maybe there was some fog or rain or whatever at the airport in London, so his flight took off a little late. He won't disappoint you."
Walking back to dressing room, Belle whispered, "I hope you're right. Please, be right."
EARLIER THAT DAY - BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Chloe rushed through the already bustling airport struggling to find the gate of her connecting flight. After the flight from Rome to the United States, she wanted nothing more than to plop down on the ground and rest. Of course, with her friends' wedding being that evening, she had no choice but to quickly make her way to the gate that would lead her to the plane that would finally take her back to Salem.
Chloe stomped her foot in frustration as she looked at her watch and realized that time was quickly running out. Her flight would be leaving any minute, and she couldn't even find the correct gate. Spinning around quickly on her feet, Chloe made rough contact with another body, sending them both to the hard floor.
Grabbing the woman as they both made their descent to the floor, the man used his body to cushion hers from the surface they met. Looking up at the woman who had landed on top of him, the man received the shock of his life when he found himself gazing into a pair of painfully familiar blue eyes. "Chloe."
Barely refraining from allowing a gasp to escape her mouth, Chloe whispered in disbelief, "Philip."
Simultaneously, the duo tried to quickly get to their feet, nearly knocking each other to the ground again in the process. Once they were both standing solidly on their own two feet, Philip took a single step toward Chloe, placing his body only centimeters from hers. In a low whisper he remarked, "You look beautiful."
Chloe shifted nervously on her feet and tucked a few strands of her long, dark hair behind her ear as Philip spoke. Blurting out the first thing that came to her, Chloe said, "You, too."
After giving an embarrassed Chloe a confused look, Philip burst into laughter. Seeing the warm, dimple-filled smile on Philip's face, Chloe allowed herself to also laugh at the silly blunder. Rubbing her eyes with her delicate hands, she said, "I can't believe I said that. I must have sounded as pathetic as I did when we first started dating in high school."
A slight seriousness taking over his facial features, Philip quietly said, "You were never pathetic, Chloe. Never." Seeing the vulnerability that lingered in Chloe's eyes, Philip did the one thing that still felt natural between them after all the pain. He brushed his warm lips against hers in a kiss so sweet, so endearing, that it bordered on innocent. Pulling back, Philip searched Chloe's eyes for something that would tell him she felt the same way.
However, he didn't find it in her eyes - he found it in her lips when she pulled him quite forcefully back to her and into a much more passionate kiss.
Finally breaking apart for air, Philip and Chloe could only stand and stare into each other's eyes. At that moment, it hardly seemed as if six years had passed since they had first fell for one another that summer after their sophomore year. How had six years passed by without them being together the entire time?
Deciding that it was time to tell Chloe the things he had spent so many lonely nights wishing he had told her, Philip finally opened up his heart to her once again. "Chloe, do you remember the ring I gave you after we got back together our freshman year of college? The promise ring?" Philip hated that they had ever broken up the first time. He had just been so angry and confused after seeing Chloe's nude body presented in front of the entire school at the Last Blast. He thanked God that he had eventually come to his senses and, with more than a little work and patience, won Chloe back. Too bad he had only won her to lose her again.
"Of course."
"When I gave that to you, I promised you that I would wait forever for you to be ready to wear that ring. That even time itself couldn't steal our love away. I swore to you that one day we would be together forever. Then, when everything with Brady happened before I left Salem, I said some really vicious things. I swear to you, Chloe, I didn't mean any of them. I was just hurting, and wanted you to hurt, too. That wasn't right."
Tears filling her eyes, Chloe softly interjected, "Philip, you don't have to do this."
"I want to. I've wanted to say this to you since we said goodbye at the airport in Salem two years ago. I should have said it then, but I knew that it probably wasn't the right thing to do considering you and Brady had just gotten together. It probably still isn't right. In fact, I know it's selfish of me to even consider saying the things that I'm about to tell you."
Taking a deep breath, Philip prepared himself for all that he knew he had to say. "I love you, Chloe. That hasn't changed and never will. Every single word I said to you the night I gave you the ring was the truth, and it still is. I need you to know that if Brady ever hurts you or breaks your heart, I'll be here for you. I'd wait a lifetime to be with you. I mean, sure, I tried dating other girls after you, but it was pointless. I couldn't feel anything for them. They didn't interest me at all. So, what I'm saying is that if you ever think that you could be happier with me, I'll be waiting with open arms."
A single tear made a streak down Chloe's face as she listened to Philip's heartfelt speech. After all the things that had happened, he still loved her. That alone amazed her.
Suddenly, Chloe remembered just where she was, and why she was there. Jumping away from Philip, Chloe loudly declared, "My flight! I'm going to miss my flight to Salem!"
Looking at Chloe, then at his watch, and then back at Chloe, Philip asked, "Are you scheduled to be on flight 203?" When Chloe nodded her head, Philip muttered, "Me, too. Let's hurry to see if we can still catch our flight."
After following Philip as fast as she possibly could through the airport, Chloe found herself at the gate that she had so frantically been searching for earlier. Out of breath, Philip raggedly said, "We need on the plane to Salem."
Frowning at the young couple, the woman behind the counter, said apologetically, "I'm sorry, but the plane has already taken off."
"What?" Chloe shrieked from behind Philip. Approaching the counter, Chloe threw her purse on it and said slowly, "Listen to me, lady. I just ran across this airport in a pair of highly uncomfortable heels with my carry on luggage that weighs a ton. Don't tell me I've missed my flight."
Giving a smile at Chloe's outburst, Philip politely intervened, "What she means is that we have a very important meeting in Salem that we can't miss or postpone. We have to be there by seven o'clock tonight. Anything that you could do to help us would be greatly appreciated."
Chloe openly stared at Philip and wondered when exactly he had become so diplomatic. She also wondered if it was any accident that he flashed his charming smile at the woman behind the counter. Luckily, the woman seemed to be one of the few women with a heartbeat that was immune to the charms of Philip Kiriakis.
Forcing an obviously fake smile on her face, the woman answered, "I'm sorry, sir. But, you will just have to wait for the next flight to Salem. I suggest you go to the appropriate counter and see what other flights are available to Salem later today.
Unhappily, Philip walked away from the counter, Chloe once again following him. Reaching yet another counter with yet another woman, Philip asked, "Excuse me, we need a flight to Salem, we just missed ours."
Taking a moment to look up the needed information on her computer, the woman politely answered, "It appears we have one more plane going to Salem today. However, it doesn't leave until two o'clock this afternoon." Glancing at her own watch, the woman added, "And, it's just after six o'clock now. We still have a few empty seats if you would like to go ahead a book a flight for you and your girlfriend."
Pulling out his wallet, Philip said, "Fine, I'll take two seats, first class if possible."
After a brief moment of entering information into her computer, the woman asked without looking away from the computer, "I'm assuming the two of you want these seats next to each other."
Philip glanced at Chloe who was still musing that Philip had yet to correct the woman about their relationship status. Looking back at the airline employee, Philip answered, "Yeah, I want the seats next to each other."
"Well, that'll mean sitting in coach. That won't be a problem, will it?"
Before Chloe could protest Philip having to give up his first class seat just to sit near her or him paying for her plane ticket, he replied, "No problem at all."
Walking away from the counter, Philip smiled and said, "I guess this means we'll have time to finish our conversation." When Chloe only took a seat in a corner and did not answer, Philip sat beside her and muttered, "Or, maybe not."
The couple sat in silence for several minutes before Chloe softly said, "He didn't like the color of the towels."
Philip turned to look at Chloe, a confused smile upon his face. With a soft chuckle, he asked "What?"
"Brady. He didn't like the color of the towels I bought for our bathroom." Philip sat silent as Chloe turned to face him. Continuing, she said, "That was the fight that ended our relationship. Silly, huh? One day we were fine and the next I completely blew up at him because he said that the color of the towels made him 'want to hurl' as he put it."
His eyes showing his disbelief, Philip hesitantly asked, "You and Brady broke up? Over the color of some towels?"
Releasing a soft laugh, Chloe replied, "Yes. I suppose we were both wanting out of the relationship and were just waiting for anything that we could disagree on. That was it. Actually, it was rather funny. We stood in that tiny bathroom in our apartment and fought like it was World War III or something. Finally, Brady just hopped up on the sink and started laughing. We both agreed that it was pretty sad when we had to use towels to express our innermost feelings. Brady packed up all his things that same day. Before he left, he told me that I would always be the one he wished he could fall in love with. And, you may not be able to understand what that means, but I do. Brady has an even harder time opening up than I do. When he told me that he wanted to love me, I knew exactly what he was really saying. We never fell in love, but we were connected. Lost in our whirlwind romance, we somehow mistook being kindred spirits with being soul mates."
"And, a set of towels woke you both up," surmised Philip.
"Exactly."
"So," cheerlessly began Philip. "I guess you still think that you and I were never meant to be."
"Maybe. Maybe not," answered Chloe as she slowly pulled on the dainty silver chain around her neck. As she pulled the bottom of it out from under the neck of her blouse, a ring was revealed to be on the chain.
Stunned, Philip stared at the promise ring he had long ago given her before asking, "Can I see that for a second?"
Not sure what Philip would possibly want the ring for, Chloe carefully unclasped the chain and removed the promise ring from it and handed it to Philip.
Philip gingerly held the tiny ring in his hand and said, "I have two things to ask you, Chloe."
"Alright. What do you need to know?"
Staring through Chloe's eyes and directly into her soul, Philip asked, "Do you believe true love lasts forever?"
Without any hesitation, Chloe answered, "Yes. What's the other thing you had to ask me?"
Moving from his seat to the floor, Philip perched himself on one knee, and asked, "Chloe Lane, will you marry me?"
In front of Mimi stood the highly nervous bride herself. Placing a comforting hand on Belle's shoulder, Mimi softly said, "Don't worry, they'll show. We still have a few minutes before the ceremony starts."
"Don't worry?" Belle questioned as she began to nervously pace around the foyer of St. Luke's. "How can I not worry? Shawn is on the other side of that door waiting for me to walk down the aisle!" Her arms gesturing wildly toward the door, Belle continued, "That door is all that's separating me from my future husband!"
Grabbing Belle by the shoulders, Jason spun her to face him. Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he assured her, "Belle, listen to me. Philip and Chloe will get here for the wedding. Come on, they're members of the wedding party. Hey, it's better that those two didn't get here early, because they probably would have tried to kill each other. You know how they were after that last break-up. Seriously Belle, it's going to be okay. They'll be here. Everything is going to be just fine."
Placing her petite hands on Jason's biceps, Belle tightly gripped his tuxedo and squealed, "You have to say that, you're the best man!"
Prying her best friend off her boyfriend, Mimi calmly said, "Belle, I never really liked Chloe. Well, to be honest, I've always hated her. But, she was always a good friend to you. She won't let you down. I'm sure her flight from Rome just got a little delayed. She'll be here any minute."
Still discouraged, Belle muttered, "Yeah, well, I'm just glad that I went ahead and sent the bridesmaid gown to her in Italy so she could have it fitted there. Otherwise, we'd have to waste even more time for her to get ready. Of course, Philip might make us late anyway."
Taking his turn again at reassuring Belle, Jason soothed, "Belle, I've known Philip practically my entire life. If he makes a promise, he keeps it. He'll be here. The K-man wouldn't let you down. Maybe there was some fog or rain or whatever at the airport in London, so his flight took off a little late. He won't disappoint you."
Walking back to dressing room, Belle whispered, "I hope you're right. Please, be right."
EARLIER THAT DAY - BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS
Chloe rushed through the already bustling airport struggling to find the gate of her connecting flight. After the flight from Rome to the United States, she wanted nothing more than to plop down on the ground and rest. Of course, with her friends' wedding being that evening, she had no choice but to quickly make her way to the gate that would lead her to the plane that would finally take her back to Salem.
Chloe stomped her foot in frustration as she looked at her watch and realized that time was quickly running out. Her flight would be leaving any minute, and she couldn't even find the correct gate. Spinning around quickly on her feet, Chloe made rough contact with another body, sending them both to the hard floor.
Grabbing the woman as they both made their descent to the floor, the man used his body to cushion hers from the surface they met. Looking up at the woman who had landed on top of him, the man received the shock of his life when he found himself gazing into a pair of painfully familiar blue eyes. "Chloe."
Barely refraining from allowing a gasp to escape her mouth, Chloe whispered in disbelief, "Philip."
Simultaneously, the duo tried to quickly get to their feet, nearly knocking each other to the ground again in the process. Once they were both standing solidly on their own two feet, Philip took a single step toward Chloe, placing his body only centimeters from hers. In a low whisper he remarked, "You look beautiful."
Chloe shifted nervously on her feet and tucked a few strands of her long, dark hair behind her ear as Philip spoke. Blurting out the first thing that came to her, Chloe said, "You, too."
After giving an embarrassed Chloe a confused look, Philip burst into laughter. Seeing the warm, dimple-filled smile on Philip's face, Chloe allowed herself to also laugh at the silly blunder. Rubbing her eyes with her delicate hands, she said, "I can't believe I said that. I must have sounded as pathetic as I did when we first started dating in high school."
A slight seriousness taking over his facial features, Philip quietly said, "You were never pathetic, Chloe. Never." Seeing the vulnerability that lingered in Chloe's eyes, Philip did the one thing that still felt natural between them after all the pain. He brushed his warm lips against hers in a kiss so sweet, so endearing, that it bordered on innocent. Pulling back, Philip searched Chloe's eyes for something that would tell him she felt the same way.
However, he didn't find it in her eyes - he found it in her lips when she pulled him quite forcefully back to her and into a much more passionate kiss.
Finally breaking apart for air, Philip and Chloe could only stand and stare into each other's eyes. At that moment, it hardly seemed as if six years had passed since they had first fell for one another that summer after their sophomore year. How had six years passed by without them being together the entire time?
Deciding that it was time to tell Chloe the things he had spent so many lonely nights wishing he had told her, Philip finally opened up his heart to her once again. "Chloe, do you remember the ring I gave you after we got back together our freshman year of college? The promise ring?" Philip hated that they had ever broken up the first time. He had just been so angry and confused after seeing Chloe's nude body presented in front of the entire school at the Last Blast. He thanked God that he had eventually come to his senses and, with more than a little work and patience, won Chloe back. Too bad he had only won her to lose her again.
"Of course."
"When I gave that to you, I promised you that I would wait forever for you to be ready to wear that ring. That even time itself couldn't steal our love away. I swore to you that one day we would be together forever. Then, when everything with Brady happened before I left Salem, I said some really vicious things. I swear to you, Chloe, I didn't mean any of them. I was just hurting, and wanted you to hurt, too. That wasn't right."
Tears filling her eyes, Chloe softly interjected, "Philip, you don't have to do this."
"I want to. I've wanted to say this to you since we said goodbye at the airport in Salem two years ago. I should have said it then, but I knew that it probably wasn't the right thing to do considering you and Brady had just gotten together. It probably still isn't right. In fact, I know it's selfish of me to even consider saying the things that I'm about to tell you."
Taking a deep breath, Philip prepared himself for all that he knew he had to say. "I love you, Chloe. That hasn't changed and never will. Every single word I said to you the night I gave you the ring was the truth, and it still is. I need you to know that if Brady ever hurts you or breaks your heart, I'll be here for you. I'd wait a lifetime to be with you. I mean, sure, I tried dating other girls after you, but it was pointless. I couldn't feel anything for them. They didn't interest me at all. So, what I'm saying is that if you ever think that you could be happier with me, I'll be waiting with open arms."
A single tear made a streak down Chloe's face as she listened to Philip's heartfelt speech. After all the things that had happened, he still loved her. That alone amazed her.
Suddenly, Chloe remembered just where she was, and why she was there. Jumping away from Philip, Chloe loudly declared, "My flight! I'm going to miss my flight to Salem!"
Looking at Chloe, then at his watch, and then back at Chloe, Philip asked, "Are you scheduled to be on flight 203?" When Chloe nodded her head, Philip muttered, "Me, too. Let's hurry to see if we can still catch our flight."
After following Philip as fast as she possibly could through the airport, Chloe found herself at the gate that she had so frantically been searching for earlier. Out of breath, Philip raggedly said, "We need on the plane to Salem."
Frowning at the young couple, the woman behind the counter, said apologetically, "I'm sorry, but the plane has already taken off."
"What?" Chloe shrieked from behind Philip. Approaching the counter, Chloe threw her purse on it and said slowly, "Listen to me, lady. I just ran across this airport in a pair of highly uncomfortable heels with my carry on luggage that weighs a ton. Don't tell me I've missed my flight."
Giving a smile at Chloe's outburst, Philip politely intervened, "What she means is that we have a very important meeting in Salem that we can't miss or postpone. We have to be there by seven o'clock tonight. Anything that you could do to help us would be greatly appreciated."
Chloe openly stared at Philip and wondered when exactly he had become so diplomatic. She also wondered if it was any accident that he flashed his charming smile at the woman behind the counter. Luckily, the woman seemed to be one of the few women with a heartbeat that was immune to the charms of Philip Kiriakis.
Forcing an obviously fake smile on her face, the woman answered, "I'm sorry, sir. But, you will just have to wait for the next flight to Salem. I suggest you go to the appropriate counter and see what other flights are available to Salem later today.
Unhappily, Philip walked away from the counter, Chloe once again following him. Reaching yet another counter with yet another woman, Philip asked, "Excuse me, we need a flight to Salem, we just missed ours."
Taking a moment to look up the needed information on her computer, the woman politely answered, "It appears we have one more plane going to Salem today. However, it doesn't leave until two o'clock this afternoon." Glancing at her own watch, the woman added, "And, it's just after six o'clock now. We still have a few empty seats if you would like to go ahead a book a flight for you and your girlfriend."
Pulling out his wallet, Philip said, "Fine, I'll take two seats, first class if possible."
After a brief moment of entering information into her computer, the woman asked without looking away from the computer, "I'm assuming the two of you want these seats next to each other."
Philip glanced at Chloe who was still musing that Philip had yet to correct the woman about their relationship status. Looking back at the airline employee, Philip answered, "Yeah, I want the seats next to each other."
"Well, that'll mean sitting in coach. That won't be a problem, will it?"
Before Chloe could protest Philip having to give up his first class seat just to sit near her or him paying for her plane ticket, he replied, "No problem at all."
Walking away from the counter, Philip smiled and said, "I guess this means we'll have time to finish our conversation." When Chloe only took a seat in a corner and did not answer, Philip sat beside her and muttered, "Or, maybe not."
The couple sat in silence for several minutes before Chloe softly said, "He didn't like the color of the towels."
Philip turned to look at Chloe, a confused smile upon his face. With a soft chuckle, he asked "What?"
"Brady. He didn't like the color of the towels I bought for our bathroom." Philip sat silent as Chloe turned to face him. Continuing, she said, "That was the fight that ended our relationship. Silly, huh? One day we were fine and the next I completely blew up at him because he said that the color of the towels made him 'want to hurl' as he put it."
His eyes showing his disbelief, Philip hesitantly asked, "You and Brady broke up? Over the color of some towels?"
Releasing a soft laugh, Chloe replied, "Yes. I suppose we were both wanting out of the relationship and were just waiting for anything that we could disagree on. That was it. Actually, it was rather funny. We stood in that tiny bathroom in our apartment and fought like it was World War III or something. Finally, Brady just hopped up on the sink and started laughing. We both agreed that it was pretty sad when we had to use towels to express our innermost feelings. Brady packed up all his things that same day. Before he left, he told me that I would always be the one he wished he could fall in love with. And, you may not be able to understand what that means, but I do. Brady has an even harder time opening up than I do. When he told me that he wanted to love me, I knew exactly what he was really saying. We never fell in love, but we were connected. Lost in our whirlwind romance, we somehow mistook being kindred spirits with being soul mates."
"And, a set of towels woke you both up," surmised Philip.
"Exactly."
"So," cheerlessly began Philip. "I guess you still think that you and I were never meant to be."
"Maybe. Maybe not," answered Chloe as she slowly pulled on the dainty silver chain around her neck. As she pulled the bottom of it out from under the neck of her blouse, a ring was revealed to be on the chain.
Stunned, Philip stared at the promise ring he had long ago given her before asking, "Can I see that for a second?"
Not sure what Philip would possibly want the ring for, Chloe carefully unclasped the chain and removed the promise ring from it and handed it to Philip.
Philip gingerly held the tiny ring in his hand and said, "I have two things to ask you, Chloe."
"Alright. What do you need to know?"
Staring through Chloe's eyes and directly into her soul, Philip asked, "Do you believe true love lasts forever?"
Without any hesitation, Chloe answered, "Yes. What's the other thing you had to ask me?"
Moving from his seat to the floor, Philip perched himself on one knee, and asked, "Chloe Lane, will you marry me?"